Bill :
Shorted battery cells are certainly a possibility. Try charging the
battery from an external source and see if the voltage comes up. If the
battery is good, the voltage should rise to at least 11-12 volts fairly
rapidly, and stay there with the charger disconnected. If the voltage
drops back to 9 within an hour or two (battery disconnected from car),
you probably have a shorted cell (or cells).
Unfortunately, it sounds like you may have both a bad battery _and_ a
charging system problem. If the battery is bad, you should replace it
first, to make troubleshooting the charging system easier. But, be sure
not to leave your new battery discharged for any length of time, as that
can ruin it quickly.
Some places that sell batteries will test your old one, free of charge
(no pun intended). Pep Boys (a local auto parts store) and Sears are
two that I've been to. I believe they give you a fair test, even though
they would like to sell you a new battery. YMMV
Sears used to offer a charging system test for almost nothing, but I
don't know if they still do.
Randall
Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>
> While we're on the subject of alternators, I have a quick question.
>
> I have my 1979 Spitfire on the road (rear spring was broken, but that
> was pretty much expected when I bought it!!) Now I have a battery that
> after a couple days of driving will no longer start the car. A volt
> meter shows the battery to be at only 9 volts. But, when the car is
> running, it also shows only 9 volts. Is it possible that the battery
> being bad (possible dead cells, after all, it is probably 14 year old
> as the car appears to have spent at least the last 9 years sitting in
> a garage or barn.) would keep the charging system from functioning or
> do I need to look for a further problem beyind the battery?? And if so,
> what should I be looking for?? It is a Lucas alternator, but I didn't
> write down which model. My 1978 shop manual lists a bunch of different
> ones, but I don't know if that diversity extended to the 1979 model year
> as well.
>
> Any pointers would be appreciated as I want to get it running again. The
> two days I got out of it this weekend were great and when the weather cools
> just a little bit it will be even more fun.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> bill
>
> --
> Bill Gunshannon | de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n. Three wolves
> bill@cs.uofs.edu | and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
> University of Scranton |
> Scranton, Pennsylvania | #include <std.disclaimer.h>
|